There are two common questions I get when I tell people I’m a Columbus Blue Jackets fan.
One is “who are they?”
And the other, more common one is “how did that happen?”
The first usually comes from people who don’t follow hockey while the second is more common among those who do. Typically posed by local friends and acquaintances, that second question is often laced with genuine curiosity: they honestly want to know what prompted me, a 29 year old woman from New Brunswick, Canada, to choose a very out of market team.
And I always answer the question the same way: it started as a joke.
About three years ago, I decided I wanted to get into hockey. I’ve never been a sports person, but my best friend loves the game so I figured why not give it a try.
When I told my husband, he suggested we should watch a game together. He’s a Montreal Canadiens fan so one night, we decided to put on a game.
That night happened to be November 4, 2016. Blue Jackets fans will remember what happened that night, but for those who might not be aware, well…
To say we were shocked would be an understatement. It was such a ridiculous blow-out from a team who, as my best friend put it, typically couldn’t buy a goal. After goal eight, even Jeff wanted them to keep going.
That was the night I picked the Blue Jackets as my team.
Three years later, it has definitely been a ride. There have been a lot of highs, a lot of lows and a lot of things in the middle.
There have also been, as it turns out, a few expenses.